


Legacy

by onoheiwa



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bonding, Family Bonding, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-16 02:19:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10561756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onoheiwa/pseuds/onoheiwa
Summary: Keith slipped from one form into the next, rotating on a foot firmly planted to the floor, and inadvertently landed his gaze on the doorway to the training deck.Kolivan was braced against the wall just inside, his long arms crossed over his chest and his face unreadable.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kolivans (arka_r)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arka_r/gifts).



> Wrote this in like 20 minutes for hello-my-stars because he was having a bad day. Hope this cheers you up, even though its a little lame. 
> 
> Title comes from the Halo 4 soundtrack, not because the song fits the work at all, really, but because that's one of the songs I listened to while trying to pick a title and the word seems to fit the story.

Sweat dripped down the side of Keith’s face, sticking his hair to his neck and sliding under the collar of his shirt. He swung his bayard again. 

He had abandoned sparring with the gladiator almost an hour ago, switching to the mindless, repetitive comfort of drills. Step, swing. Step, swing. Step, swing. Over and over until his breath came in pants and his arms were beginning to numb, his grip on the bayard slacking. 

Keith slipped from one form into the next, rotating on a foot firmly planted to the floor, and inadvertently landed his gaze on the doorway to the training deck. 

Kolivan was braced against the wall just inside, his long arms crossed over his chest and his face unreadable. 

Keith paused and straightened. “Is there something I can help you with?” 

He was met with silence. Kolivan’s eyes were fixed on him, searching over his body critically, but he said nothing. 

After a long moment Keith shrugged mentally and stepped back into his forms, forcing himself to ignore the intense gaze from the edge of the room. He blinked rapidly; his hair was plastered to his forehead and sweat was beginning to drip into his eyes. Everything else faded away, leaving only the ache in his arms, the dampness on his skin, the swish of the blade through the air. Step, swing. Step, duck, and rotate. Swing, swing, swing. 

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice broke through his focus. 

“Your balance is poor.” 

Keith whipped his head around to where Kolivan was still leaning against the wall. “Uhh.” 

The Galra’s arms fell away from his chest and he began making his way across the floor to where Keith was frozen in the middle of a stroke of his bayard. “Your reflexes are sharp,” he continued. “Your control is fair as well, but your balance is poor.” 

“I know,” Keith nodded slowly. “My feet are a little small, it makes it hard to compensate for weight distribution sometimes.” He looked at the Galra searchingly, trying to gauge his mood, his intentions, anything. 

Kolivan had been coming and going from the castle ship for months now, personally visiting to pass on pertinent information to the princess and to check in on Voltron’s activities. He had begun helping the paladins with their training on occasion, mostly in hand-to-hand combat but he had offered advice on flight formations, strategy, and random other tips as well. Sometimes it seemed as if he was growing more comfortable around them, more friendly - a ghost of a smile at Lance’s antics, lingering at the table after a meal to listen to the conversation. He’d even clapped Shiro on the shoulder once after a particularly intense sparring session. 

But he remained distant, stoic. Those moments were mere glimpses, there and gone again a moment later and sometimes Keith wasn’t even sure they had really happened. It almost seemed like Kolivan wanted to be a more active part of the group but was hesitant to do so. 

Keith looked up at the man wondering why he was there. 

Kolivan grunted in response to Keith’s statement before stepping back a bit and then dropping into the opening stance. “Try it like this,” he said, moving through the form, the movements and steps slightly altered. 

Keith watched the whole form, examining Kolivan’s body, taking note of the angle of his limbs, the precise size of his steps and swings, before moving slowly through the whole thing again with Kolivan at his side. He was pleased to note that the slight adjustment was easier on his muscles, less strenuous since he didn’t have to try so hard to maintain his balance even when he did the form again, faster. He felt himself smiling and turned to Kolivan as he eased out of the final stance. “Thanks.” 

Kolivan inclined his head politely. “You’re welcome.” 

“How did you know how to do that?” Keith asked and instantly wondered if he shouldn’t have. 

Kolivan’s calm face hardened, a flash of pain darting through his eyes before he looked away, hiding his face from Keith’s view. It seemed he would simply walk away for a long moment, before the tension began to slide out of his shoulders. “Antok,” Kolivan started slowly, “had the same problem. He and I spent many years experimenting with different styles to help him improve. He ended up becoming the greatest fighter of all the Blades.” 

Keith swallowed around a lump in his throat. He hadn’t known the Galra at all, really, but Kolivan’s grief was palpable in the air. “I’m sorry,” he said, feeling the man’s eyes turn back to him. “I didn’t mean to-” 

Kolivan held up a hand to halt his words. “It is alright.” He sighed and ran a hand down his face and then looked down at Keith with the faintest of smiles. “He would be glad to know that a fellow Blade benefitted from all those hours of effort.” 

Keith was stunned for a moment before feeling a smile of his own and he nodded in understanding. “Thank you.” 

Kolivan nodded as well and silence fell over the two of them for a few seconds, the air turning awkward. Kolivan shifted uncomfortably and seemed to steel himself. “If you are not too tired I could show you more?” 

Keith nodded, wrestling down the broad grin that was attempting to take over his face. “I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm totally making stuff up about the small feet, poor balance thing. I have REALLY small feet and I've never really noticed a balancing problem. I have no idea if that's actually a thing or not.
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](onoheiwa.tumblr.com).


End file.
